


Daddy Issues

by local_fictional_character_simp



Category: School of Rock (2003)
Genre: Aged-Up Character(s), Alternate Universe - Middle School, Background Relationships, Blushing, Boys In Love, But thats not the point, Crushes, Everyone Is Gay, F/F, Falling In Love, First Kiss, Gen, Girls in Love, Holding Hands, Hugs, I Wrote This Instead of Sleeping, Idiots in Love, Lectures, M/M, Oblivious Zack Mooneyham, Plot changes, Rare Pairings, Rock and Roll, Secret Crush, Stuttering, Swearing, also freddy gets very comfortable when they start dating, and no its not weird, and they do things that arent in the movie, even tho theyre all around 15 they still get called kids, i think its funny idk, its more nicknames and pet names, just a few scenes are changed to have a different outcome, katie and summer are already together, katie is such a matchmaker, like calling him babe and zackie, maybe a few people arent, not much, not really secret though, so im keeping it that way, zack is pretty anxious, zacks dad sucks
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-18
Updated: 2021-03-08
Packaged: 2021-03-13 12:09:11
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 11
Words: 12,988
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29526195
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/local_fictional_character_simp/pseuds/local_fictional_character_simp
Summary: im sorry i had to with the title- i thought it was funny bc zack has daddy issues- LMAOa new substitute is sent to horace green, only to make his class a rock band and get them into a battle of the bands. except almost all of them are gay and express the way they feel through their music.lowercase and plot changes are intentionalill probably update every day even tho its already finished lmaofreddy x zack ( the main focus )summer x katie ( background but definitely there )marco x gordon ( not until later chapters but definitely background as well )tomika and lawrence are best friends your honor-
Relationships: Freddy Jones | Freddy Hamilton/Zack Mooneyham, Marco/Gordon (School of Rock), Summer Hathaway/Katie, Tomika & Lawrence (School of Rock)





	1. the new substitute

"children." the voice of principle mullins echos through the room.

summer and katie were sharing a desk, either talking about schoolwork or drama. you know, as middle school girls do.

marco and gordon were talking about electronics, but nothing about video games or youtube, just talking about how certain things work.

tomika and lawrence were talking about books, but specifically older books, like the ones published in the 1900's.

everyone else was screwing around, probably talking to their friend or reading.

freddy and zack usually weren't even there. nobody knew where they were. at least they didn't until classes officially started.

their desks were always pushed together. one time a substitute had tried to separate them, and even summer, tomika and lawrence had told the sub there was no separating them.

since it was near the end of day, they were there when miss mullins walked in. everyone standing up ran to their seats, sitting up straight and proper.

"please take your seats. everyone, i'd like to introduce mrs. dunham's substitute. this is mr. schneebly." a man walks in, nodding his head as if music was playing. "why don't you write your name on the board?"

"yes! yes i will." he writes 'MR. Shneee' before scribbling over the two 'e's at the end. "you know what? why don't you all just call me mr. s." he erases everything except for 'MR. S'.

"mr. s has never taught here at horace green, so i want you all to be on your best behavior. so... curriculum's on the desk. and... do you have any questions?"

"yeah, when's lunch?"

miss mullins pauses. "the children just had their lunch. is there anything else you need?"

"uh, i'm a teacher. all i need are minds for molding."

"alright, then. well, thanks again, you saved the day!"

once the door shuts, mr. s looks out the door window before turning back to the class. "okay, who's got food in here?" everyone is silent. they glance at each other as if he was crazy. "you're not gonna get in trouble, i'm hungry." he says, doing a high-pitched voice when saying 'in trouble.'

tomika raises her hand. "you. what do you got?" she opens her desk, showing a turkey sub. "mhm, that's what i'm talking about." he pulls the wrapper off, taking a bite.

"okay. teach, teach, teach. alright, look, here's the deal. i've got a hangover. who knows what that means?"

"doesn't that mean you're drunk?" frankie asks.

"no. it means i was drunk yesterday."

"it means you're an alcoholic."

mr. s pauses. "wrong."

"you wouldn't come to work hungover unless you're an alcoholic. dude, you've got a disease."

"hm. hm. what's your name?"

"freddy jones."

"hmm. freddy jones, shut up!" the class laughs.

"shut up." he whispers to alicia.

"the point is, y'all can just chill today. we'll start on this crap-ola tomorrow!"

summer raises her hand.

"yes, tinkerbell?"

"summer." she corrects. "as class factotum, first i'd like to just say, welcome to horace green."

"thank you."

"do you have any questions about our schedule?" she snaps at him. "cause usually now mrs. dunham teaches vocabulary, then gives us a pop quiz, then she'll split us up into our reading groups. track b is-"

"okay, hey, hey, hey. mrs. dumbum ain't your teacher today, i am. and i got a headache and the runs, so i say, time for recess."

"but mr. s, that poster charts everyone's performance." mr. s looks over at the chart with a gold star above it that reads 'mrs. dunham's stars!' in a yellow cutout star. "we get gold stars when we master the material covered in class. how do we get gold stars if we just have recess?"

he walks up to the chart and points to the four black circle stickers next to freddy's name. "what are these black dots here?"

"demerits." mr. s looks like he's at a loss for words.

"what kind of a sick school is this? hmm?" he finally says. when nobody says anything he pulls the chart off the wall and rips it to shreds. summer gasps, moving back in her seat.

"as long as i'm here, there will be no grades, or gold stars, or demerits. we're gonna have recess all the time!" freddy and zack high-five.

"but mrs. dunham only gives us recess for fifteen minutes-"

"hey! you're not hearing me, girl! i'm in charge now, kay? and i say recess. go! play and have fun! now!" freddy and zack are first to leave the classroom, as usual. katie and summer are still inside, katie trying to tell summer to just leave the room with schoolwork or something to keep her busy. everyone else is leaving pretty quickly after that.

* * *

mr. s watches the clock, as if he was waiting for a certain time to say or do something.

once the second hand passes twelve, officially making it three o'clock, mr. s is up out of his chair, giving the front row of kids high-fives.

mr. s pulls the door open, stepping into the doorframe. "yeah! woo-hoo! i will see you cats on the flip flop later!" the door shuts, and everyone looks at the person beside them.

"...what?"

"whatever, c'mon, let's go." zack is pulled out of his seat, and he quickly grabs his bag and his books before being pulled out of the classroom.

"where are they going?" katie asks.

"they're probably going to m-"

"frankie, don't start. they're only friends."

"yeah, summer, only friends. soon they're gonna be secretly dating - if they're not already - and i'm gonna say 'i told you so' to every single one of you."

"alright, katie. well we should all get going, right?" everyone agrees with her. "well, class is dismissed, see everyone tomorrow." summer smiles at everyone and leaves the classroom, bag slung over her shoulder and holding katie's hand.


	2. the second day

the class sits and does homework, draws on something or even sits and waits, tapping their fingers on their desk as mr. s leans back in his chair and rests his head on the chalkboard as if he was sleeping.

"are you gonna teach us anything or are we just gonna sit here?" michelle asks.

"...just do whatever you want."

summer sighs. "i wanna learn from my teacher."

"besides that! freddy, what do you like to do?"

freddy glances up at him. "i dunno, burn stuff?" zack looks down at him, shaking his head with a smile, which was telling him he was immature without actually saying he was immature.

"just, go out and have recess."

"my parents don't spend fifteen thousand dollars a year for recess." summer snaps.

"what, you wanna learn something?"

"yes i do."

"what, you want me to teach you something?" summer nods. "you wanna learn something? alright, here's a useful lesson for ya. give up. just quit. because in this life, you can't win. yeah, you can try. but in the end you're just gonna lose. big time, because the world is run by the man."

"who?" frankie asks.

"the man. oh, you don't know the man? well, he's everywhere. in the white house, down the hall- miss mullins? she's the man. and the man ruined the ozone, and he's burning down the amazon, and he kidnapped shamu and put her in a chlorine tank! okay? and there used to be a way to stick it to the man. it was called rock and roll. but guess what? oh, no! the man ruined that too with a little thing called mtv! so don't waste your time tryna make anything cool, or pure, or awesome, because the man's just gonna call you a fat, washed-up loser and crush your soul."

the door to their classroom opens slowly.

"so do yourselves a favor and just give up!"

once everybody but mr. s noticed principle mullins standing in the doorway they all sat up.

mr. s looks confused until he turns around and sees miss mullins. "oh."

"mr. schneebly, it's after ten. on tuesdays, the children have music class now."

"right, okay. uh, good work, people. we will continue with our lecture on the man, when we return!" he claps. "have a good music class."

summer and katie are first to leave, surprisingly. they walk out carrying books in one hand and holding each other's hand in the other.

freddy and zack leave pretty quickly afterwards, not wanting to spend anymore time with mr. s.

marco and gordon leave, talking about something they're both passionate about, but nobody could hear a word they were saying.

tomika and lawrence leave quickly, arms linked.

* * *

when everyone walks back into the classroom, they see mr. s standing with a guitar, and surrounded with guitars, a keyboard, a cymbal, a floor tom and the snare drum.

"mr. s, what's going on?"

"i heard you in music class. you guys can really play. why didn't anyone tell me? you." zack stops, turning to face him. "what's your name?"

"zack."

"you play the guitar?"

"yeah."

"okay, come here." zack looks back at freddy as he walks up. "you ever play the electric guitar?"

"my dad won't let me. he thinks it's a waste of time."

"a waste of-" he grabs the guitar resting on the chair. "try this one. okay, here's a guitar pick, and you pluck along with me, if you can, okay?"

first, mr. s plays the riff from iron man by black sabbath. zack copies, note for note.

next, he plays the riff from smoke on the water by deep purple. zack plays it note for note again.

lastly, they play the riff from highway to hell by ac/dc. zack repeats perfectly.

"okay, you stay right there. don't move. piano man, front and center." lawrence stands up, walking over to the keyboard. "what's your name?"

"lawrence."

"lawrence, you ever play keyboard? any techno?"

"no, i only play piano."

"okay, alright, fair enough. try this out for me, okay?" a book is set on the stand. "just give this a try on my count, alright? one, two, three, four."

lawrence plays the beginning of touch me by the doors, and mr. s sings the lyrics, making a few lines up.

"stop. that's perfect. you're perfect. stay right there, okay?" mr. s points at katie. "you. could you come up here please? what's your name?"

"katie."

"katie, what was that thing you were playing today? the big thing?"

"cello."

"okay, this is a bass guitar, and it's the exact same thing, but instead of playing like this," he mimics the way she was playing the cello on the guitar, "you tip it on the side, ch-hello, you've got a bass. try it on."

she pulls the bass guitar on, letting the strap rest on her shoulder.

"okay, now play this note right here, that's a g." she plays it once. "okay. but let your fingers do the rocking. keep that g coming all day long." he repeats g over and over every time she plays it.

"good, stop. are there any drummers in the house?"

"...i play percussion."

"that's because you couldn't play anything else."

"shut up."

"come here, dude."

freddy hits frankie's arm, glaring at him.

"just see if you can do what i do, okay? just give it a try."

mr. s plays lightly, hitting the floor tom four times, then repeating it on the snare drum before hitting the cymbal once.

"okay? give that a try."

freddy takes the sticks from him, sitting on the stool and looking at the three parts of the drum set before copying what he did, except much louder.

"okay! that's really good. just stay right here." freddy looks back at zack, smiling proudly. zack gives him a thumbs up, nodding in approval.

"alright, okay. lawrence, give me a g note. with the fifth above it, and the middle one. no middle one, i changed my mind. now go an octave below. now give me some rhythm. and keep that same rhythm, go."

he walks over to katie.

"okay, katie, remember that note i taught you, the g? play- but, also keep it rocking- good."

mr. s turns around.

"okay, give me like a," he makes the sound, and freddy copies on the floor tom. "good. okay, no, that's bad. that's like george of the jungle. play it up here on the cymbal but really light! oh, that's it! okay, keep going with that."

he walks up to zack, holding his guitar like he's about to play a song.

"zack, you remember this thing i taught you a minute ago? it goes like," he plays the riff from smoke on the water, and zack copies after a few seconds.

"yes! yes! whoa! alright, let's go!" mr. s starts to play a solo, moving wildly and yelling once as he does.

"oh! alright, stop. stop. you guys. hey, you guys, stop messing around. we've got a lot of work to do. okay, people, pay attention because i do not want to have to fail you."

"i thought you didn't believe in grades."

mr. s pauses. "of course i believe in grades. i was testing you, and you passed. good work, summer. four and a half gold stars for you." summer smiles, sitting up.

"now, listen, you guys, you know what? normal kids would've been stoked to slack off, but not you guys, 'cause you're not normal. you're special. and because i think you guys have the right attitude, i think it's time we started our new class project."

"a science project?"

"no. it's called... rock band."

"is this a school project?" marta asks.

"yes. and it's a requirement. and it may sound easy... but nothing could be harder. it will test your head... and your mind... and your brain, too."

"will other schools be competing?" summer asks.

"you could say that. you could say, that every school in the state will be competing for the top prize!"

"what's the prize?" billy questions.

"a win will go on your permanent record. hello, harvard, yo?" summer smiles at michelle. zack pulls the guitar off his shoulder and lets it rest against the chair. he sits on freddy's lap, throwing an arm around his shoulders. "the thing is, we're not supposed to get started until next quarter, but i think we should get a leg up on the competition, don't you?"

"i do."

"who else wants to go for the gold?" everyone starts to agree. "alright, but if anyone finds out what we're doing in here we'll be disqualified, so let's just keep it on the down-low, shall we?"

"can we tell our parents?" katie asks.

"no! just trust me, they don't wanna know anything about this. keep it zipped. alright, you guys, let's kick it into overdrive."

zack hadn't moved an inch when frankie asks, "what are the rest of us supposed to do?"

"you just sit back and enjoy the magic of rock!"

"you mean we're not in the band?"

"now, hold up, now. just because you're not in the band doesn't mean you're not IN the band. we need backup singers. who can sing?"

billy looks away, out the window as alicia and marta raise their hands.

"you, sing." he points to marta.

marta sings a line from tomorrow by alicia morton.

"stop. you've got it. and i don't even know what it is, but you've got it. and that's why you're in the band." he points to alicia, "you, sing."

alicia sings a line from amazing grace by john newton.

"stop, before i start crying because i found the missing ingredient. you're in the band."

"i can sing!" summer says, waving her hand in the air.

"you can?"

"mhm."

"alright, summer, belt it."

summer sings memory by barbara streisand, but it's off-key and doesn't sound good.

"stop, stop. okay. good. that's pretty good. alright." the class giggles in the background.

"i can also play clarinet, you know?"

"i'll find something for you. when we get back from lunch i'll assign the rest of you killer positions!" he says, giving everyone two thumbs up.


	3. making the band

the whole class is lined against the wall, waiting so be assigned roles.

"lead guitar... zack attack. on drums, spazzy mcgee. you two, take a seat." the two leave their spots on the wall.

"on bass, posh spice." katie sits down, walking to her seat faster than normal.

"and on keyboards, mr. cool." lawrence smiles, walking to his seat.

"okay, blondie, brace face, you're singing backup." the two smile at each other, going to sit down.

"alright, tough guy, shortstop... fancy pants, get over here. you guys are on security detail. your job is to make sure no one outside this room knows what we're doing in here. the future of the band depends on you. okay, your first mission: soundproofing this room. get on it." the others nod, but billy stays behind.

"can i be the band's stylist instead?"

"of course you can, fancy pants." billy walks away proudly.

"okay. carrot top, roadrunner, turkey sub, we are gonna have a lot of equipment. we're talking amps, electric guitars, maybe even lasers and smoke machines. now your job is to master the transportation and operation of this technology. seriously, without a first-rate roadie crew, we'll never have a psychedelic show, and i can't live with that, okay? i'm counting on you, get going. go." tomika, marco and gordon walk away.

"alright. you three... groupies, and your job is simple: just worship the band. and you're gonna be making hats, you're gonna be making t-shirts, all kinds of merchandise. which leads me to your first assignment: naming the band." eleni and michelle seem excited, but summer doesn't at all. "alright, sit down. as for me, i will be singing lead vocal and shredding guitar."

"wait, isn't this a student project?"

"what's your point?"

"are you supposed to be in the band?" alicia asks. everyone turns to look at mr. s.

"what, you want to get rid of me? why, because i'm old? you hate teachers, is that what you're about?"

"no."

"okay, well teachers like to play, too. and not only am i gonna play, i'm el capitano, and what i say goes, so put your hands over your hearts." all the kids copy.

"i pledge allegiance,"

"i pledge allegiance,"

"to the band,"

"to the band,"

"of mr. schneebly,"

"of mr. schneebly,"

"and will not fight him,"

"and will not fight him,"

"for creative control,"

"for creative control,"

"and will defer to him on all issues related to the musical direction of the band."

"and will defer to him on all issues-" the clear words turn into people's words overlapping.

"let's get rocking!"

"yeah!" all the kids cheer.

* * *

"alright, look alive!" mr. s says, putting his suitcase on the table. "listen up." he claps. "first thing you do when you start a band-"

"uhm, mr. schneebly? before we start, shouldn't i first take attendance?" summer asks.

"...okay, fine." mr. s walks away, taking off his jacket. summer walks up to the front of the classroom, holding a clipboard.

"okay. now. michelle?"

"here."

"okay. and, marco?"

"here."

"okay." summer smiles at the paper. "uh, summer. here. uh, let's see, tomika?"

"okay, we're all here." mr. s says, pushing her back to her desk. "look, the first thing you do when you start a band is talk about your influences. that's how you figure out what kind of band you wanna be. so, who do you like? blondie?"

"christina aguilera." marta says.

"who? no. come on. what? you, shortstop."

"puff daddy." leonard answers.

"wrong. billy?"

"liza minnelli?" billy says with a questioning tone.

"what are you- you guys! this project is called 'rock band'. i'm talking 'bout bands that rock. led zeppelin." everyone gives him a confused look. "don't tell me you guys have never gotten the led out. jimmy page? robert plant? ring any bells? what about sabbath? ac/dc? motorhead? oh, what do they teach in this place?!" he sighs. "summer, you're the class whatever, go to the board."

"factotum." summer stands up.

"factotor." summer throws her hands up, annoyed, but goes to the board and starts writing the times anyway. "new schedule. eight fifteen to ten, rock history. ten to eleven, rock appreciation and theory. and then band practice 'til the end of the day."

"what about math?"

"no, not important?"

"world cultures?"

"not important. you guys, we need to focus here. don't you wanna win this contest? it's prestigious."

"uhm, question. how are we being graded in all this? i mean, since, i'm band manager, and i have the most responsibility, wouldn't-"

"summer. if you grade-grub one more time, i will send you back to the first grade, you got it? go to your seat now."

"fine."

"what are we gonna play?" freddy asks.

"uh, you don't have to worry about that. we have awesome material, which i wrote."

"let's hear it."

"what?"

"let's hear your song."

"you wanna hear my song? i'll play you my song, if you wanna hear it. the thing is, i just want you to keep in mind, i wrote it in like fifteen minutes. and, uh, it's not done yet, and you might not like it-"

"just play the song, schneebly!" freddy snaps.

"okay, i will sing it for you, but, uh, let me just get in the zone. i was not planning on unveiling it, but, i will sing it." mr. s does vocal warm-ups.

"okay. it starts off... a dark stage... and then a beam of light and you can see me and my guitar." he imitates playing the guitar. he starts to sing the song, making hand gestures to go along with it.

"and then a thin layer of fog comes in around my ankles. roadies, that means dry ice, we're gonna talk about this later." he continues singing, making more hand gestures.

"chimes, freddy." he says.

"then katie, you come in with the bass." he pretends to play the bass, moving weirdly. then mr. s continues to sing.

"and then zack, you come in with a face-melter." he imitates what he wants it to sound like. "okay?" he continues singing, leaning down so that he has to keep himself up by grabbing the corner of leonard's desk.

"and then, sh- a hawaii five-o. you ever see that show? okay, well there's a drum solo in it that goes," mr. s pretends to hit the drums, except his hands start at his head so it wasn't the most accurate, but he got his point across and continues singing.

"and then, that's where i want the backup singers to be like," he sings the line, singing falsetto after the chorus.

"boom! big ol' explosion. some, like, confetti comes down. anyway, that's all i got so far. it's a work in progress."

"i liked it, mr. schneebly. i thought it was really catchy." summer compliments.

"...thank you." mr. s says, panting.


	4. officially starting the band

as the band that would be onstage practices the song, summer goes around making sure everybody is doing their job and doesn't need any help. tomika watches marta and alicia sing, not helping with anything.

"everybody."

the backup singers start singing their part as mr. s sings the chorus.

"alright, good, stop." everyone looks at mr. s. "okay, freddy, that was awesome. you're rocking, but it's a little sloppy joe. tighten up the screws, okay?" freddy nods.

"zack, dude, what's up with the stiffness man? you're looking..." mr. s starts to move stiffly, like a robot, "...a little robotronic. okay? let's, uh, grease up the hinges, and listen. loosey-goosey." he moves his arms in a waving motion.

"i'm just playing it the way you told me."

"i know! and you know what? it's perfect. but the thing is, rock is about the passion, man. where's the joy? you're the lead guitarist and we are counting on you for some style, brotha! so try this out. this is an ancient technique. it's called 'power stance'. that's it. power stance. you own the universe. now give me an e chord. just go 'ugh!' " mr. s plays the note. zack plays the note.

"but let me hear 'ugh!' " zack copies.

"now raise your goblet of rock. it's a toast to those who rock. now smile and nod your head and let me see your eyeballs wide like there's something wrong." zack follows his instructions. "yeah! yeah. do it again. give me that," mr. s plays the e cord, nodding his head, and zack copies right after.

"that's what im talking about. okay, let's do it again from 'you're not hardcore'. one, two, three," they start singing again from the chorus, except it was the last line so maybe five seconds later he says, "yeah! now we're rocking!"

\-- ****** _ ****** \--

"your homework is to listen to some real music. get inspired. for blondie, blondie. for lawrence, yes. that's the name of the band. listen to the keyboard solo on 'roundabout'. it will blow the classical music out your butt. okay, for you, rush. 2112. neil peart. one of the great drummers of all time. study up."

"uhm, are we gonna be goofing off like this every day?"

"uh, we're not goofing off. we're creating musical fusion."

"well, uhm, are we gonna be creating musical fusion every day?"

"yeah, get used to it." freddy looks back at zack, smiling before going to wait for him near the door frame.

"okay, and for you, jimi hendrix. axis bold as love. dude, are you psyched about the new project?"

"sure."

" 'sure'? hey. wait, what's up, man? you're the lead guitarist of an unbelievable rock band. this is a dream come true for you."

"okay."

"alright. i'll see you."

"mr. s?" the door shuts, and the conversation between tomika and mr. s is muffled, and they can't understand a word.

freddy throws his arm around zack's shoulders. "aren't you excited? this is gonna be awesome!"

"i guess."

"wait, what do you mean 'i guess'? you've been talking about playing electric guitar since we met. what's with the 'i don't wanna play this anymore' mood?"

"my-" zack starts, but is cut off.

"ignore your dad. this is your life, not his. c'mon, brighten up! it's gonna be awesome!"

"yeah. awesome." zack smiles.


	5. learning about rock

"you can play your music after you finish your homework, after you finish your chores, but not until then." zack walks away, thinking he was finished.

"zack!" his dad grabs his jacket's sleeve, pulling him back. "zack, do not walk away from me when i'm talking to you. it's very rude. alright? last thing. you do your guitar after your homework and chores and only what mrs. sheinkopf gives you, alright? no more rock music, okay?"

"okay."

"alright, get to class." zack walks away, looking down at the leaves scattered across the grass. "watch that attitude."

* * *

before mr. s was in the classroom, everyone was getting ready, setting up whatever they were doing, whether it was attaching the blankets to the doors or setting up the computer. the only one not doing anything was zack, who was sitting at his desk.

mr. s walks in, clapping. "alright. everybody, class has begun." he takes his jacket off. "and you know what? you guys have been doing real good in here, and if i was gonna give you a grade, i would give you an 'a', but that's the problem. rock ain't about doing things perfect. who can tell me what it's really about? frankie?"

"uhh... scoring chicks?"

"n-no. see. no. eleni?"

"getting wasted."

"n- come on, no. leonard?"

"stickin' it to the man?"

"yes! but you can't just say it, man. you gotta feel it in your blood and guts. if you wanna rock, you gotta break the rules. you gotta get mad at the man, and right now i'm the man. that's right, i'm the man, and who's got the guts to tell me off? huh? who's gonna tell me off?"

"shut the hell up, schneebly!"

"that's it, freddy. that's it. who can top him?"

"get out of here, stupid ass."

"yes, alicia!"

"you're a joke! you're the worst teacher i've ever had!"

"summer, that is great. i like the delivery because i felt your anger."

"thank you."

"you're a fat loser and you have body odor." lawrence says quickly.

the class sits in an uncomfortable silence until mr. s says, "alright. alright. now is everyone nice and pissed off?"

"yeah."

"good! time to write a rock song! now what makes you mad more than anything in the world? billy?"

"you."

"billy, we've already told me off, let's move on."

"you're tacky and i hate you."

"okay, you see me after class." billy looks away, annoyed, but it quickly goes away once he starts talking again. "you, gordon."

"no allowance."

"i didn't get no allowance today, so now i'm really ticked off." he sings. "y'know what i mean?" gordon looks over at marco, who's smiling.

"what else makes you mad? michelle?"

"chores."

"i had to do my chores today, so i am really ticked off. what else?" he points to leonard.

"bullies."

"all you bullies get out of my way, cause i am really ticked off. so what would you say to a bully? zack?"

"i don't know."

"no, come on. if someone was right up in your grill, what would you say?"

"i don't know."

"if someone was pushing you around, telling you what to do, what would you say?"

"s-step off?"

"step off! step off! step off! step off! everybody." they all repeat after him.

somehow, mr. s can come up with lyrics, and freddy can play the drums so it sounds good. once he's finished singing he says, "everybody," and goes back to the 'step off!' part, and everyone repeats. he kicks a desk over and they all start laughing.

"alright, now that, was a perfectly decent rock song." he bows. "grazie. grazie."

* * *

"hey, mr. schneebly."

"hey, zack."

"i just wanted to say that was a really cool lesson today."

"oh, thanks, dude. i'll see you back in class."

"okay." zack walks back to his table.

"you actually did it!" frankie starts laughing.

"i mean, the lesson was nice." alicia says.

"i thought it was funny when he kicked the desk over."

"i think we all did, zack." summer says, and katie and freddy nod in agreement.

* * *

mr. s teaches everyone about every rock band he can think of and what genre they are. he teaches them how certain genre's connect and make a new genre, and what the music usually sounds like. he even talks about rock bands that are half of one genre and half of another.

he teaches freddy how to spin the drumsticks, and then how to have an extra pair just in case.

the backup singers learn how to dance, and then practice dancing and singing at the same time.

mr. s teaches katie how to do certain faces, and she copies them while playing bass.

gordon makes the logo, and an animation to change it from horace green to whatever the band name would be.

mr. s shows zack and katie clips of guitarist doing things like rolling or spinning on the ground as they played.

billy designs the clothing, obviously wanting the theme to be something like glitter rock.

summer sits at the teacher's desk, reading 'the business of music' with another book on the desk.

* * *

the next day, he teaches lawrence how to play keyboard without standing awkwardly.

he plays a slideshow for everyone, talking about people in the rock industry and what they do.

mr. s shows freddy clips of drummers doing certain things, and he takes mental notes of it all.

he teaches the girls certain dances, and they try to copy him.


	6. battle of the bands gig

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> oops forgot to update for a couple days haha

katie, summer, freddy and zack walk up the stairs to their classroom together. katie and summer have their arms linked and freddy's arm is around zack's shoulders, as usual.

"i'm just saying, name two great chick drummers." zack rolls his eyes.

"sheila e? meg white from the white stripes?" katie lists them off.

"she can't drum!"

"she's a better drummer than you. at least she has rhythm." katie walks ahead of them.

"freddy, where are your sleeves? and what have you done to your hair?"

"it's called punk."

"well, it's not school uniform." she pulls one of his sleeves down, and she doesnt even turn away when he pushes his sleeve back up, rolling his eyes at her.

"miss mullins, you're the man."

"thank you, frankie." frankie, michelle and eleni start giggling.

the door closes behind the two as they go to sit on their desks.

"she's so annoying."

"you're not following dress code, though."

"and? she doesn't get to pull my sleeve down, and i can do what i want to my clothes and my hair. who cares what it looks like? isn't it my decision?"

"well, yeah-"

"so she's being annoying and ruining my mood."

"at least it's your mood. if it was something worse, like making you put your hair back to how it usually is, it would ruin your hair and your mood, which is much worse."

"but still-"

"would you stop arguing?" summer snaps. "we're leaving the classroom in less than an hour and you're bickering! either go somewhere else and argue or drop it!" zack looks at her, shocked at the sudden outburst. freddy crosses his arms and pouts, obviously pissed off at miss mullins.

"why're you pouting like a child?" freddy looks over at him, glaring.

"zack! shut up!" katie whispers.

\-- ****** _ ****** \--

"clear." leonard says through the walkie-talkie. almost the whole class comes out of the doors, half of them holding some type of instrument.

they all get into the back of mr. s' van as frankie and summer watch guard.

"alright, you guys, is everybody ready?" summer gets into the passenger seat as a few people say 'yeah' to let him know they're all ready. "strap in. let's do this."

\-- ****** _ ****** \--

"oh, dude, cool."

they pull up to the place where the battle of the bands gig is being held.

"everyone, let's go." they all file out of the van, everyone carrying something.

once they're in the building, they split into groups. katie and summer are together, sitting together. lawrence, tomika, marta and alicia are together, and zack and freddy are together.

"whoa, check out these little kids, man." one of the band's members, followed by another guy, says.

"hey, shut up."

"oh, sorry. thought this was, uh, battle of the bands, not the," he clears his throat, "mickey mouse club."

"hey, you want a piece of me?" freddy asks, stepping closer to them, still holding the drumsticks. they back up, amused.

"hey, look at this guy!" the other band member says.

"freddy? freddy, come on, man! we've gotta focus up, you guys. we got to nail this audition."

"mr. s?"

"what's up?"

"i don't think i can sing." tomika says, looking down at the floor.

"what are you talking about? come here." the two walk away, going to talk privately.

"what the hell were you thinking?" katie snaps.

"what? they deserved it!"

"hey, kid, wanna come chill with us in our van?" the first guy asks.

"freddy-"

"uh, sure?" freddy looks back at everyone, as if he didn't want to go with them but was too scared to say no.

"freddy!"

"what?" he turns around, and is face to face with zack. freddy becomes flustered from being so close to him.

"where are you going?"

"they- they just wanna hang out. chill."

"what about us? are we not cool enough?"

"i didn't say that-"

"you're implying it. you'd rather be with people that just insulted you- no, insulted all of us, then be with your own band and your friends?" freddy goes quiet, looking down at the floor. "exactly. so just, don't be stupid anymore, alright?" he glares at zack, but it's impossible to be mad at him once zack smiles, shaking his head. "i'm joking."

"okay. we are good to go. everyone is ready and prepared?"

summer nods. "yeah, everyone's here and has their things."

"alright, let's go."

they walk in, and mr. s and summer walk up to a girl wearing a beret.

"alright, you guys, just wait here for a minute."

"hey, man, look at this stage!" he looks behind him, making sure zack knows he's talking to him.

"yeah, it's cool." they sit down on the stairs, zack leaning on him.

"hey, what's going on, where is everybody?" mr. s asks, summer walking beside him.

"uh, auditions are over."

"what?! who's in charge?" he barely waits a second for an answer before running up to the man at the desk, cleaning up. summer follows. "listen, you can't leave. you haven't heard our band."

"sorry. the bill is full. we're already overbooked."

"no, no, no. let us just play one song. we're all here. we're ready to go." mr. s looks back at them, throwing his hand up in the air in their direction.

"who are they?"

"they're my band."

the guy pauses. "kids? what is this? some kind of gimmick?"

"no, it's not a gimmick. i know they're kids, but they're awesome. just listen!"

"look, thanks for coming down, but you're really not what we're looking for."

mr. s throws the chair out of pure rage, and zack leans closer to freddy. summer backs up.

"you listen to me! these kids have worked their little fingers to the bone just to play one song for you, so you just sit down, shut up, and listen!" he says, pointing a finger in their face.

the man looks back at the women. "sheila. call security."

zack gets up to leave before everyone else, but freddy puts his arm around his shoulders, and he stops. he melts into the touch immediately, leaning his head on freddy's shoulder.

\-- ****** _ ****** \--

zack gets into mr. s' van, leaning the guitar against the side of the walls. he sits next to freddy, leaning his head back against the van walls.

"look, it was just a warm-up gig. we'll still be able to compete against the other schools next quarter." summer attempts to reassure him, and maybe everyone that's listening.

"what are you talking about? this is the gig, summer. this was our woodstock!"

summer sighs, and both boys can tell she's about to regret what she's saying because it'll go against her rules. "then we shouldn't take no for an answer!"

that wasn't what they were expecting.

zack sits up, turning to look at the driver's seat mirror in attempt to see what they're doing.

"what?" he stutters mockingly, as if it was making a point. "don't take no for an answer? he was- did you see? he was gonna call the fuzz."

"would you just listen to me?" summer asks, her tone raising. this made the interest in their conversation even higher, and zack moved to see actually them in the side mirror.

"i have an idea."

\-- ****** _ ****** \--

the kids stand outside, pretending to be sick.

tomika is leaning up against the van door, katie and summer against the side, marta on the closed door, alicia leaning against the light post, lawrence is sitting on the sidewalk, and freddy and zack beside each other on the ground. they were holding hands, but nobody saw. even if they did, they weren't saying anything.

"these bricks are uncomfortable." zack complains.

"too bad. we have to wait until mr. s is done convincing them to let us play." summer says, looking down at him.

it's silent until alicia starts complaining too.

"ugh, can he take any longer?"

"you guys, we have to be patient."

the kids are quiet until marta whines, "this sucks."

"shut it! if you want to get caught then keep talking, but i want to get in the show! and don't lie to me because i know you guys do, too!" summer yells, her voice high pitched.

they're all silent for the rest of the time they're waiting, pretending to cough and look sick.

at one point, zack started laughing at something freddy was saying, but they couldn't hear him from inside and thought he was crying. it was even more convincing because his arm was over his eyes and they couldn't see the smile on his face.

suddenly, mr. s walks out, quickly looking back.

by now, freddy was about to get up on the van roof, zack about to follow him, tomika had left her spot against the door and was talking to marta, katie and summer had switched spots and were talking, and alicia was about to get in the van. lawrence had stayed in his spot on the sidewalk the whole time.

he turns back to them and gives them thumbs up.

"we're on the bill."

they all start cheering. katie and summer high-five, alicia starts jumping up and down, tomika and marta grab each other's hands, shaking them in excitement, and freddy and zack hug. lawrence only stands up, still seeming to doubt if he should be in the band.

"cut it out! you're dying, remember? get in the van." they all stop, and start coughing. zack and freddy get into the van first, and soon katie is running in. then tomika, alicia and marta get in. lawrence gets in last while summer and mr. s are in the front.

\-- ****** _ ****** \--

the immigrant song by led zeppelin plays as mr. s drives. he's singing every lyric, even the screaming in the beginning, which summer finds very amusing.

freddy is drumming on one of the speakers while everyone is bopping their heads along to the music. katie attempts to mimic the guitar in the background, but gives up. zack, sitting beside freddy, as usual, leans against his side, but freddy doesn't mind.

"summer, you get an a-plus and fifty gold stars!"

"i didn't do it for the grade."

"gimme some of that." they do a short handshake, high-fiving up and down. "yeah!"


	7. red alert

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this is short so im posting it lmao

when they're finally back in the classroom, they're all talking to each other.

michelle and eleni are talking about what happened with summer and katie.

gordon and marco are together, talking about the animation gordon made.

leonard and lawrence are talking about a book they've both read and enjoyed.

tomika, alicia and marta are going over the dance for the song.

billy is busy making something, but he's also talking to frankie, who was watching the cameras.

zack and freddy were talking about music, but not any specific song or band.

mr. s was playing guitar, singing a tune but not a song.

"hey, mr.s." eleni says.

"mhm?"

"we have a name for the band." mr. s looks up.

"hit me." michelle holds the shirt up, letting it unfold to show 'SCHOOL OF ROCK' in a red banner that curls at the ends.

"the school of rock. the school... of rock." mr. s sits up. "and we shall teach rock and roll to the world." mr. s gets up on the desk, making up lyrics as if it was a catchphrase for the band. everyone looks up at him.

"stop! we have a red alert. it's mullins." everyone runs to put stuff away. 

"to your positions. to your positions!" the blankets are pulled off the doors and the instruments are put into the closet.

once miss mullins walks in, mr. s is already fake teaching, and the class is pretending like they just learned something amazing.

"and therefore, e equals m c-squared. oh, miss mullins. come in."

"i'm sorry to interrupt, but mrs. lemmons said she heard music coming from the classroom."

"music? uh, music. i haven't heard any music. uh oh, you know what? mrs. lemmons must be on crack, right kids?" they all nod in agreement.

"well, uh- well, what's that?" she points to the guitar behind mr. s, and he turns around to look at it. everyone is sent into panic mode, hoping that he doesn't screw everything up.

"oh, that. yeah. we were singing. we were singing and we were learning. we were learning in sing-song."

"huh. one of your methods?"

"mhm. yeah. i find that it's really helpful when you're teaching the subjects that are the boring subjects." summer cringes, knowing miss mullins probably won't believe it anymore.

"huh. well, you don't mind if i just sit in on your class this afternoon, do you?"

"no, no. come on back this afternoon."

"it is the afternoon. i meant now." mr. s glances at the clock, and then looks back at her. "so, please, just, continue with your method."

"yeah. okay." he grabs the guitar, putting the strap over his shoulder.

"math is a wonderful thing. math is a really cool thing. so get off your ath, let's do some math. math, math, math, math, math. three minus four is," he looks down at summer.

"negative one."

"that's right. and six times a billion is," he looks at marco.

"...six billion?"

"nailed it." marco smiles, and not many see it, but gordon smiles, love struck. "and if fifty-four is forty-five more than what is the answer, marta?"

"nine."

"no, it's eight."

marta gives him a confused look. "no, it's nine."

mr. s goes silent, trying to process what he said. "yes, i was testing you. it's nine. and that's a magic number."


	8. zack's song

zack plays a new song for michelle and eleni while waiting for katie, billy and freddy to get back.

summer and mr. s are going over everything they'll need.

"okay, drums?"

"house."

"keyboards?"

"house."

"amps?"

"mhm."

"alright, cable?"

"got 'em."

"alright, guitar?"

"yes."

"mr. s!" billy lightly hits his shoulder.

"yeah?"

"what do you think?"

mr. s looks over at freddy and katie and almost looks scared. he looks at the outfit from the shoes and up. 

"uh... i don't know. i- they might be a little distracting."

"it's glitter rock and it's glam and it's fabulous."

"billy, it's just not the right style."

"style? you're gonna talk to me about style? you can't even dress yourself. look at that bow tie."

"don't you be talking about my bow tie."

"you know what? i give up. they can just wear their uniforms!"

"that's not a bad idea."

"not a bad idea? i was kidding."

"excuse me."

mr. s walks up to zack, eleni and michelle.

"hey, hey, ho-ha. what is that?"

"what's what?"

"what're you playing?" mr. s asks.

zack shrugs. "just something i wrote."

"you wrote a song?" zack nods. "well, let's hear it."

"nah, it's not that good."

"come on, i wanna hear it, kurt cobain."

"okay, but i'm not much of a singer."

"that's alright."

zack plays the notes of the song, singing the lyrics as well.

"wait. you wrote that?" zack nods. "you wrote that?" he nods again. "okay, that's it. you guys? rock and roll positions."

"what are you doing?"

"what am i doing? we're gonna learn your song."

"but why?"

"because that's what bands do, man, play each other's songs. you got lyrics?" he nods. "hook me up." mr. s snaps, waiting for zack to give him the paper. "no more secret songs!"

"alright, lawrence, no more reading. time for rock." he hits the book, and lawrence takes off his headphones, putting the book down.

"get on the drum. bass it up." he says to freddy and katie.

"what was that first cord?"

"d."

"play it."

zack plays each cord, saying the lyrics after, mr. s saying 'mhm' or 'yeah'.

* * *

they're practicing the song when zack says one of lines, mr. s says,

"you know what would be better though? you know what would be better? if it was rock got no reason, rock got no rhyme. you know? can we try that? and also, we need some ooh-la-la's. so like, ooh, la-la-la, ooh, la-la-la. try that at the chorus, okay? can we take from the chorus?"

"one, two, three, four, one, two, three," they continue the song, the lyrics changing to mr. s' suggestion. when there was a break in the song, mr. s mimics a guitar solo.

"i'm gonna take a solo there if it's cool with you."

zack nods. "alright."

"and then you can solo later."

"okay."

"but let me just rock a solo there, i can feel it." he goes back to mimicking the solo.

* * *

"alright. tomorrow is the big day, so get your rest. no late-night parties, drinking tequila and trying to get lucky. chances like this do not come around every day. now, you've played hard in here, people, and i am proud of every last stinking one of you. so let's just give this everything we got. we may fall on our faces, but if we do fall, we will fall with dignity! with a guitar in our hands and rock in our hearts! and in the words of ac/dc, 'we roll tonight, to the guitar bite, and for those about to rock... i salute you'." mr. s holds up his hand in a saluting motion, and he salutes everyone, and they all copy.

"hey, zack, are you excited?"

"what?" zack looks up at freddy as his arm goes around his shoulders, as usual. "oh, yeah, i guess."

freddy is immediately sent into panic mode. "oh my god. zack, what's wrong? if it's your dad, remember what i told you. ignore whatever he says to you."

"that's not it."

"well what's wrong?"

zack flushes. "n-nothing, sorry."

freddy gives him an unimpressed look. "i know something's wrong, zack. but if you're not comfortable talking about it, i won't push it. i'll see you tomorrow, right?"

"of course, freddy. i wouldn't not show up on the last day. that would be such a bad thing to do. and you'll see me tonight anyways."

"that's not the point. the point is, you're not gonna go and give up after all of this. i will see you tomorrow, okay?"

"yeah, you'll see me tomorrow. promise."


	9. parent's night

"yeah, you know, uh, math, english, uh... what, science, what else? uh, geography, history, latin, spanish, french, latin, uh, math... did i... say that right? anyway, you know, just all this stuff you want your kids to know, it's being covered, okay? so..." he shrugs twice, shaking his head, "it was great to meet y'all, and, uh, drive safe."

"excuse me." zack's father says, and his first reaction is to look back at freddy, but when he doesn't get any answers to what he should do, he puts his hands on his face, and rests his elbows on the desk. "ever since you started teaching here, all my son can talk about is one of these boys-" zack wasn't expecting him to bring this part up. he goes red, and pulls his shirt up and over his face. "-and music. he says when he grows up he wants to be a musician. is this your influence?"

"yeah, well, mr. schneebly, why has my daughter become obsessed with david geffen?" summer's mother asks.

"and how is this homework?" lawrence's dad holds up the cd mr. s gave lawrence.

"okay, see, i would like to tell you 'bout what we've been doing in here, but there's such a thing as teacher-student confidentiality and i don't want to be in breach of educational law 'cause i could be dismembered by the teacher's union. so..."

"you expect us to believe this garbage?"

"i-" he looks out into the hall, and his expression changes from a scared yet calm look to being scared with no calm at all.

"mr. s, don't you think you should just tell them about the project?" tomika asks.

"what project?" her mother looks at her, worried.

"our class project. every school in the state is competing." lawrence informs.

"competing?"

"it's not 'til next quarter, but mr. s wanted us to get a head start."

"well, what's the project, summer?" her mother asks. mr. s looks out into the hallway, and he looks insanely scared.

"it's prestigious. a win will go on our permanent record, mom."

"hmm."

summer turns to look at him. "you might as well tell them, mr. schneebly."

"okay, look. i've gotten to know your kids over the past few weeks and they are awesome. zack is an insane guitarist. he's the next hendrix, and he's fifteen years old." zack smiles, no longer blushing of embarrassment but from being complemented.

"and gordon here, he's a genius!" gordon's mother leans down to assure him she's proud. "he did a whole professional light show on his computer in three days. and, uhm," mr. s looks out into the hall again, and starts stuttering before remembering what he was talking about.

"and- and- and marta here, she's- she's- she's- she can hit an 'a' above high 'c'. did you know that? because that's tough. not many singers can do that. and- and, uh... uh... uh... summer. summer is gonna be the first woman president of the united states of america, and she could run later this year even and i would vote for her. look, you guys, they're just all really cool kids, and if they were mine, i would be so proud. and i am proud, just to even know them. and, uhm..."

"sir." a police officer walks in, and everyone looks over. "can i see you in the hall for a moment?" zack panics, and looks back at freddy, who's already looking at him. freddy smiles at him, which quickly calms zack down, and he blushes and looks away.

"can i just- let me just say a couple more things?"

"what's going on?"

"what's happening, officer?"

"apparently, that man is not ned schneebly."

"...what?" all the parents are confused, and grab onto their kid.

"this man is ned schneebly." he pulls a man in.

"yeah, he's not even a teacher." a woman says, specifically about mr. s.

"you called the cops?"

"she did. she got it out of me. sorry."

"you're apologizing to him?" the woman snaps.

"sorry." the real ned schneebly apologizes to her.

"ned." real ned looks over at principal mullins, then realized she's talking to mr. s. "ned, is- is this true? who are you?"

"my name is dewey finn... and no, i'm not a licensed teacher, but i have been touched by your kids, and i'm pretty sure i've touched them." dewey finn says in an attempt to get everyone to side to him, but everyone's parents starts to freak out, grabbing their kid, their things, or both.

dewey finn stares at everyone before grabbing two of his guitars and running out the door. all the parents file out of the room, watching him run down the hall, leaving their kids alone to talk.

marco and gordon go to one of the corners of the room, both flustered from something one of them said.

"what was that your dad was talking about?" katie asks, pulling her chair over and sitting down beside zack.

"about what?"

"the boy." zack blushes, looking down at the floor.

"it-" he's at a loss for words until they finally hit him like bricks. "it was nothing. he didn't mean it."

"c'mon, zack, you know i wouldn't judge you."

"i would tell you but there's too many people, i can't."

"just whisper it." that was the only way zack could get out of telling her, but she was being much smarter, and seemed to not go down without an answer.

zack sighs, and pulls her closer, whispering in her ear. she leans back, mouth open in shock.

"no way." zack goes red again. "oh my god, finally. you guys are so oblivious sometimes!"

"...what?"

"zack, he's like, in love with you. you always walk in together before class starts, you're literally always together and will not separate unless it's necessary, you were literally sitting on his lap once, you were leaning your head on his shoulder at the gig, and he basically always walks around with his arm around your shoulders. you're both hopelessly in love and it's killing me! even summer can see it better than you can." zack sat there, processing everything katie said before it finally hit him.

"you mean..." he trails off, not able to finish.

"yes! now please just ask him out already. i will do it for you if you're too scared."

"no, i can do it. i think." katie rolls her eyes.

"just let me know what happens." the parents all come back into the classroom, ushering their kids out of the classroom.


	10. battle of the bands

the next day, the kids are alone in their classroom, as if they were waiting for someone to come in and tell them to just go home.

"so his name really wasn't mr. schneebly?" eleni asks.

"no, it was like, dewey something." freddy answers.

"what about the project?"

"wake up, marco, there was no project." frankie says with a snappy tone.

"he just wanted us to play a show so we could make some money." zack stands up, going to stand beside freddy.

"i can't believe we weren't getting graded on any of this." summer says, shaking her head.

"what are you so bummed about? we had a three week vacation. yeah, it was a waste of time, but it was a lot better than school."

"it was not a waste of time." lawrence says.

"hate to break it to you, bro, but yeah, that's what it was."

"then you're an idiot."

"hey, shut up."

"no, you shut up."

"hey, you wanna go? huh?"

"hey, if you touch him, i'll shove those sticks down your throat, got it?" tomika snaps. freddy looks at her, shocked. zack backs up into the desk, and freddy wraps one of his arms around zack's shoulders, and runs his fingers through zack's hair. zack leans back, his arms resting on the desk behind him.

"mr. s was cool, and we worked too long and too hard not to play this show."

"well, okay, so what're we supposed to do?"

"i say we get outta here and play the damn show." alicia says.

* * *

summer runs to the bus door, and walks in, counting everyone before turning to the bus driver. "okay, we're all here for the field trip."

"where's mr. schneebly?"

"he didn't tell you? he's at his house. we need to go pick him up. come on. let's go, hurry." the bus driver looks like he's shocked at how summer is making him do something, but he closes the doors anyways. summer walks up the rest of the steps, taking her seat in the first row.

"hey, zack." zack looks up, seeing freddy looking down at him.

"yeah?"

"yesterday. what was your dad talking about?"

"what do you mean?" zack asks, trying to stay cool.

"when he was talking about the boy. who's the boy?"

zack sighs. "i can't say. too many people."

"just... come over to my seat?" the second time this happened to him. and both times he tried to get away it failed. zack gets up, and sits down beside him.

"so, who is it?" zack looks out the window.

"it's no one."

"i know you're lying. just so you know, you're terrible at lying."

"to you. you know me so well it's easy for you to tell."

"i think you're just a bad liar. but that was off topic. who is it?" usually freddy would've given up by now, but this time it seemed like he wasn't going to.

"uhm, it's- it's no one."

"come on, zack. if you think i'm gonna hate you, then you're wrong. i could never hate you. that's impossible."

"i like you a lot and i don't know how to tell you but you're the boy my dad was talking about." zack says, way too fast for anyone to understand.

"...what?"

"it's- uhm- i- it's you. you're the boy."

"really?"

"yeah, i- i like you, a lot, and i wasn't expecting my dad to bring it up but he did and it was awkward but only katie knows."

"first of all, make sure you're breathing. second, katie's already with summer. i really don't care if she knows. and third, why didn't you tell me sooner?"

"wait, what?"

"you're oblivious, you know that, right?"

"yeah, katie told me."

"good thing you know."

zack smiles and looks down. "shut up."

"are you gonna ask me or not?"

"ask you what?" zack looks up at him.

"i'll do it."

"wha-"

"zack, will you make it official and just date me already?"

zack smiles again, looking down at the aisle. "yes, freddy, i'll make it official and date you already."

"thank you."

"you're welcome."

"alright, we're almost there. who's going in to get him?" nobody raises their hand. suddenly, katie stands up, whispering something in her ear. summer nods. "freddy and zack, you can go get him."

* * *

freddy shakes dewey by his shoulder, zack patiently waiting behind him.

"wake up!" freddy kicks the mattress twice, and he looks up at them.

"how'd you guys get in here?"

"front door was open."

it's silent until dewey asks, "why aren't you guys in school?"

"we did what you told us; we stuck it to the man." zack says.

"forget about what i told you. look, i'm a loser, okay? you listen to my advice, you'll end up like me, with nothing."

freddy shakes his head, sitting down on the stool behind him. "come on, man, quit goofing around. this is serious business. we're on a mission. one great rock show can change the world." the sound of a car horn is heard, and freddy nods to the window. "look out the window."

dewey gets up, looking out the window to find the class outside with a bus.

"mr. s! come down!" they all start shouting, waving their arms.

"no way. that is so punk rock."

* * *

"...no inserts." freddy walks out, holding a guitar in one hand and zack's in the other. he almost runs into a woman, now being known as ned's girlfriend, who gives ned - the real ned - an angry look. she moves out of the way and freddy walks past her, pulling zack closer.

"what's going on?" ned asks.

"we've got some rocking to do." dewey says, and walks past them.

once they're in the bus, freddy high-fives frankie, then grabs zack's hand and they sit in an empty seat, zack sitting on freddy's lap.

"hi, mr. schneebly." the bus driver says.

"how's it going?" the kids all cheer as dewey walks onto the bus.

"you guys, all i can say is... let's rock!" they all start cheering again.

"one more thing. i want to say i'm sorry... that i used you guys. i'm sorry i lied. and it's not cool to lie to your band-"

"come on, we're gonna be late! there's no time for apologies! let's go, come on!" summer yells.

"alright, let's go!"

* * *

the bus stops, and all the kids file out. marco's carrying a big suitcase filled with equipment, and billy's holding tons of clothes filled into two bags. freddy's holding zack's hand, as usual, and they enter the building, walking right to the backstage entrance.

"hey." dewey says to a female security guard.

"hey, can i help you?"

"yeah, we're competing. we're the school of rock."

"you and all these kids?" she asks. freddy's grip on zack's hand tightens.

"yeah, we're the band and crew."

"you'd better get in here, hurry up."

"okay, come on, you guys." the two security guards move out of the way, and they all walk in.

"hey, we're here."

"you're late. you're up next."

"okay, we'll be ready, come on!"

"zack, check this out." freddy pulls him up beside him so they can watch the band play.

"i'm right here- whoa, that's awesome." somehow, but not surprisingly, freddy's arms are around zack's waist.

"guys, you don't have to listen to those hacks. come on, band meeting, right now, gather round. alright. frankie, how's security?"

"we're set."

"okay, gordon, what about the lights?"

"the light board's up in the balcony. i'll patch it up there."

"alright, and, uh, billy, how's beautification?"

"are you kidding?" billy asks, sounding very offended that he would assume it wasn't going perfectly.

"okay, listen up, you guys. we only have one song to let these guys know who we are, so i think we should play zack's."

"but why? i mean, really?"

"yes!" dewey and freddy say at the same time.

"the thing is, you guys, i ain't that good. i'm not, and i can admit it. but you, dude, you're fifteen years old, you're already better than me. your song rocks harder, so let's play it! but, hey, you know what? that's just one guy's opinion. but this ain't my band, it's our band. we all have a say."

"we haven't practiced that one as much." summer says. "i mean, we might not win!"

"hey, we didn't come here to win. we came here to play one great show. and on zack's song, you guys really rock. you know my vote, who else is with me?"

he puts his hand in, and everyone follows.

"alright, let's pray. god of rock, thank you for this chance to kick ass. we are your humble servants, please give us the power to blow people's minds with our high-voltage rock. in your name we pray. amen."

"amen." all the kids repeat.

"now let's get out there and melt some faces!"

"yeah!" everyone's hands go up.

"go get ready."

"alright, but you gotta sing it." zack says.

"are you sure? it's your song."

"yeah, it's cool, i'm no singer."

"okay, i'll sing it." gordon taps his shoulder. "yeah?"

"what about the lights? all the cues are to the other song."

"okay, gordon, you're just gonna have to feel it. you've gotta improvise. you know this song, i know you can do it!"

"...okay."

"go. run like the wind!"

"hey." billy hands a paper bag to dewey.

"what's this?"

"you wanted to go with the uniform, so put it on! quick." billy walks away, going back to help other people, not waiting for an answer.

"freddy, i need some help." freddy looks over at him. "i'm nervous. what if i mess it up?"

"hey, don't be. you're gonna do amazing. you have that solo, remember?" zack nods. "you're gonna crush that solo! it's gonna be amazing. don't worry."

"we're going on, guys!"

"hey, zack." zack turns around, and freddy pulls him into a kiss. "good luck, zack."

* * *

"hey. what's up? uh..." everyone takes notice of dewey's loss for words, and freddy is quick to take his spot at the microphone.

"we're the school of rock, and this song was written by my boyfriend, zack mooneyham." zack smiled at him when he turned back to look at the others. freddy went back to the drum set, and zack was looking down at his guitar, barely able to look over at katie, who was smiling proudly.

the song starts, and both freddy and zack were nervous, as well as everyone else, but once they both hit their first beat, it was gone, and replaced with excitement.

they were gonna win, they had to. they practiced for hours instead of doing schoolwork. maybe they didn't win, but hopefully the crowd liked the song. if they didn't, zack would feel bad, thinking it was his fault they lost AND the crowd didn't like it.

once zack started his solo, freddy couldn't help but be excited, because he was killing the solo! when they were leaving the stage, zack threw his hat to the cheering crowd before walking off.

when they were off the stage, the first thing they all saw was their principal, but they didn't care because the show they had just played was amazing! freddy had immediately told zack how amazing the solo was, and he did amazing and it was perfect. zack smiled and kissed him.

"that was incredible!" principle mullins says and hugs dewey. "oh, my gosh, the lights, and the guitar solos... was it really you playing?"

"so you're not mad?" dewey asked.

"mad? i'm furious! i'm horrified, but it was incredible! it was so great. you guys were so great!"

"dude! you did it man! those lights were awesome! they were awesome." dewey picks gordon up and sets him back down a few seconds later.

marco grabs gordon's hand and pulls him into a kiss. obviously they thought nobody saw, but katie did. she quietly cheered, and ran to tell summer the news.

"who's the manager?"

"i am. summer hathaway. nice to meet you." she shakes all their hands.

"oh, hey, wait, stop. come here, guys." one of the band members from no vacancy had said, beckoning them over. "you guys rocked, dude. how old are you?"

"fifteen." zack says. this time he's pulling freddy closer.

"fifteen? no way, dude. how long you been playing, man?"

"three years. i used to play classical, but now i play rock."

"awesome, dude!"

"alright, babe. we should probably get back." zack blushes, but he waves goodbye to the band members and leaves to join the group again.

katie accidentally walks in on marco and gordon making out, marco pushed against a mirror. she smiles, and runs off to tell summer.

* * *

"alright, guys, this is it. the moment of truth. the winner of this year's battle of the bands competition..." the kids cross their fingers, hoping they win. zack and freddy stand beside each other, holding the other's hand tightly.

"...is no vacancy!" the band cheers, hugging each other. the kids immediately feel all the excitement of possibly winning wash away.

zack almost immediately feels bad, thinking it's his fault they lost because his song wasn't good enough. once freddy looks over at him, he sees the look on zack's face and the way he's almost crying, he immediately hugs him and let's him cry onto his shoulder, telling him it's not his fault and "i still love you, so who cares what they think?"

"no! boo!" dewey yells, booing. "it was a beauty contest, they weren't even listening to the music!" the one band member that was talking to zack shrugged, as if he was wondering why his band won and they didn't. "boo! no!" he falls back onto the couch.

"on behalf of the battle of the bands, i'd like to present this check for twenty thousand dollars to no vacancy!" most of the crowd was booing, knowing for a fact that school of rock should've won. maybe a few people cheered for them, but were immediately put in their place.

"what's wrong?" summer asks, her head tilted to the side.

"what's wrong? summer didn't you hear? we lost!"

"hey, chill out, dude. rock isn't about getting an 'a'. the sex pistols never won anything." freddy said, his arms still around zack's shoulders.

"don't let the man get you down." lawrence says.

"yeah, i mean, dude, you gotta cheer up. we played a kick-ass show." katie reassures.

"we did, didn't we? it was unbelievable, wasn't it?"

"yeah." summer nods, smiling.

the sound of people chanting 'school of rock' gets louder and louder until they all know they aren't hearing anything wrong.

"what is that?" marta asks as they all turn around. freddy lets zack turn around, but keeps his arms around his shoulders.

"it's an encore. they want us to go play another song. it's good, go you guys!" freddy is one of the first people to start running, pulling zack behind him.

"wait, no, no. just the band- okay, everybody, go!" they all run out, accidentally getting one of the no vacancy members stuck in the group.

freddy's already behind the drum set, and he was telling zack it was "just like last time," and "they're all gonna love it!" and he wipes zack's tears away, quickly kissing him before nudging him back to his spot.

"thank you, yes, we will play one more."

they tune the guitars in, and freddy was right, it was just like last time. the nervousness was washed away with excitement once the first cord, symbol or key was hit.


	11. after school program

summer walks into the shared apartment of dewey and ned, patty now nowhere to be seen.

tomika, marta and alicia were singing backup on the right side of dewey, zack was playing on the left of dewey, and katie was beside zack with lawrence playing keyboard behind her. freddy was behind zack and katie, playing percussion.

zack and freddy still aren't separable, but once they're playing music, they're so focused they forget they're inseparable. of course they're still always near each other, that's why katie and zack switched spots.

in the next room, ned is teaching some younger kids the basics of playing guitar.

"alright, now take it down nice and quiet." all of the music goes down as if it was playing from a speaker and the volume was turned down. "the next thing i want to hear... is a face-melting solo by our own zack mooneyham, go! here we go!"

zack plays a killer solo, and dewey jokes around, saying, "dude, is my face okay? i think you melted it off," and laughs.

"alright, now the next thing i want to hear, the very next thing- i don't want to hear anything, unless i hear... a gut-busting, drum solo from freddy. take it away!"

next, freddy plays an amazing drum solo, and once it's done, they're back to the song, dewey jokes around again, saying, "aw, my gut got busted. what did you do, freddy?" they all laugh, finding his jokes insanely funny.

"now i think it's time, we heard from a little somebody. lawrence on lead solo keyboard, go!"

lawrence plays an amazing solo on keyboard, and dewey sings one verse before saying, "alright, slow it up. listen up, you guys. here's what i need. i need you girls to repeat after me."

they all sing some random words and sounds, giggling.

"alright, now the first test is over. i'm gonna need alicia to give me a two-second vocal solo, go. here it comes."

alicia sings her two-second solo, which is only the first line of the chorus of the song.

"don't bogart the mic, alicia. that was beautiful, but now it's time. come on, tomika, melt it."

tomika sings her solo, which is only one word but her voice sounds amazing doing it.

"that was, tasty. marta, blow my brains out. go."

marta sings her solo, getting dewey to do backup before getting his solo. they start laughing as he spins on the floor, almost hitting katie's legs multiple times.

they make up their own lyrics, which didn't rhyme at all before getting to the actual song.

"alright, that's it, stop you guys, stop." they can't just end abruptly, so they play an outro as dewey continues to ask them to stop, out of breath.

"seriously, you guys. alright, take five. take five." he goes around high-fiving everyone. "you want to go? alright. that was a good class."

"alright, see you, man."

"that was awesome, zackie." freddy grabs his hand as they walk over to zack's guitar case.

"you did amazing on that solo, freddy."

"your solo was killer, zack! did you even hear it? it was awesome!"

"your solo was too." zack said, pulling the zipper to close the case.

"i know that, but your solo, babe!" freddy kisses his cheek. "it was awesome."

"thanks, freddy." they walk out of dewey and ned's apartment, waiting for freddy's mother to pick them up. zack leans against the wall, and then freddy's arms are around his waist and then their lips are together.

"do i get to see you tomorrow? i really wanna see you tomorrow, y'know."

"you also want to pin me against a wall and make out with me. you do both of them all the time, so i don't see why you're asking."

"that-" zack smiles proudly when freddy pauses. "okay, yeah, but that's not the point. the point is i wanna see you tomorrow."

"you'll see me no matter what. you barely leave me alone at school, and you're almost always with me outside of school, and i don't care that you are, but you literally don't have to ask to see me because you'll say 'fuck you' and come to see me anyways."

"i-" zack gives him a look that said 'i'm right and i know i am' without saying it out loud. "again, not the point." zack giggles. "i want to see you tomorrow, and you're gonna be at my house tomorrow because i can NOT stand your dad anymore."

"yeah, he is annoying."

"he's more than annoying."

"yeah, but he's also my dad, and i can't hate him."

"you can hate whoever you want. the point is, your dad sucks, and my mother actually likes you and thinks you're amazing at playing guitar."

"bye, zack! bye, freddy!" summer says, walking past them and waving. katie soon follows, waving goodbye at them.

"bye! anyways, your dad is stupid, my mom is basically your mom, and you deserve better so you're coming over to my house tomorrow."

"...alright."

"thank you! oh my god, you are impossible sometimes!"

"but i agreed this time-"

"that's not the point! the point is, you're impossible to convince, and i convinced you, so i'm basically bragging about how i actually convinced you to do something."

"you could've just... kissed me? it would've worked much better."

"shut up." zack smiles, shaking his head. "i did it without that, and you're now proud of me."

"well obviously i'm proud-"

"and that's all that matters because i convinced you without having to kiss you."

"i'd appreciate it if you would actually kiss me properly and not just talk about it. oh, and your mother's here."

"great, let's go." freddy grabs his hand, pulling him into his mother's car.

"jesus christ, i was about to hit my head on the car."

"that's your fault for being tall enough to hit the top of the car."

"i- okay, whatever you say." zack gives up quickly as freddy proudly smiles.


End file.
